To say Sacramento fell off would be a huge understatement. The Kings, at one time, were competing with the Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference. Gone were the days of Mitch Richmond, Mahmud Abdul-Rauf, and Olden Polynese. The Kings were in high gear after the Richmond trade. Chris Webber brought an across the board threat in nearly every aspect of the game. His injuries had appeared to be a thing of the past, Jason Williams was playing some of the best ball of his career, and Vlade Divac's NBA life seemed regenerated amongst such a promising squad. Even the King's bench was dangerous; Bobby Jackson, Doug Christie, Scott Pollard... every player in Sacramento was having some of the best days of their career (both individually and as a team). And they were only getting better. The addition of draft pick, Peja Stojakovic, along with a trade for Mike Bibby turned the Kings into a Pacific division powerhouse, looking young, fresh, and with the power to stay on top for a long time.... Then, you fast forward a few years to find a worthless bench and a frustrated Bibby (left alone without Webber's leadership) stuck in the last place of the Pacific Division. The team with the softest frontcourt in the league (Abdur-Rahim and Miller) was so desperate to pull themselves out of a downward tailspin, that they traded their franchise player (and 2 time NBA 3-point Shoot-Out champion) for the most risky, unreliable time bomb in the league. The last time something this big stopped this fast, it was the Titantic.

F

Where They Are...

On the bottom. Don't count on Ron Artest's trade being any sort of long term fix... but the short term results could be major! The Kings could find themselves fighting for an 8th seed by the end of the season... but they will inevitably fall short when all is said and done. Over the summer, Artest will do well to stay out of the public's eye... but once the 2006-07' season begins, the reason he's such a risk will be much more apparent. The Kings will be stuck on the bottom on the Pacific Division for at least two more years.

D

Where They're Going...

Unlike other teams, Sacramento doesn't appear to be building any new stars. Almost every team in the league has one rookie-to-3rd year player that is still considered a project. The Kings don't appear to have one. This tells me that, unless the Maloofs want to keep wheeling and dealing to keep their team updated with fresh new players, the Kings aren't building anything worthwhile. Skinner, Thomas, and Garcia are all average (at best).

Unlike other teams, Sacramento doesn't appear to be building any new stars. Almost every team in the league has one rookie-to-3rd year player that is still considered a project. The Kings don't appear to have one. This tells me that, unless the Maloofs want to keep wheeling and dealing to keep their team updated with fresh new players, the Kings aren't building anything worthwhile. Skinner, Thomas, and Garcia are all average (at best).

Hey, I missed these rambles. Queens this time, uh?.

Well, I don't like the Queens as a franchise, but I do like their roster. They're not a contender, but it can be enough to get a playoff berth. And they have some young players I really like, like Garcia (who ain't going to be a star, just like his game), Artest, SAR (I've always liked him, even if he's soft) and Kevin Martin is having a pretty good season.

A weird team, probably heading nowhere (or to Vegas in a few years), but still fun to watch.

Fun to watch is one thing. In 1998, Dominique Wilkins was fun to watch... but he was playing for the Spurs (who won less than 20 games). The Kings have an interesting squad with Artest, Miller, Bobby, and the rest of them... but that team is going nowhere unless they get some new management.

Some good points #32. I get to (unfortunetly) watch all the Kings games on TV:

Sure, they do lack young talent, but this team is built to win NOW. Last year was a major dissapoinment, so the Maloofs brought in free agents and trades for veterans to win immedietly.

No one is sure about the future of Ron Artest, but to his credit, in the few games he has played, he has busted his butt.

I think you are way wrong about Kenny Thomas though. He is not "average at best." He doesn't get a ton of minutes nor takes a ton of shots, but when he is in the game, he plays TOUGH! He fights for rebounds and has more heart than any other King. The Warriors would be better off with a guy like him. (And please no career stats; like I said he does things in the game that don't show up in stats)

And I hate the Kings, they are BORING as hell to watch!

I remember the good old days of Teagle, Garland, Askew, Mokeski, and even Mr. Jennings.

Califongia wrote:I think you are way wrong about Kenny Thomas though. He is not "average at best." He doesn't get a ton of minutes nor takes a ton of shots, but when he is in the game, he plays TOUGH! He fights for rebounds and has more heart than any other King. The Warriors would be better off with a guy like him. (And please no career stats; like I said he does things in the game that don't show up in stats)

And I hate the Kings, they are BORING as hell to watch!

I like Kenny Thomas. He's only a role player (even if he believes he should be more than that), but a pretty good one. Can do a bit of everything and helps the team win.

But I don't think the Queens are boring. Just play the game the wrong game. Maybe that's why they're funny to watch.

P.S.: I really, really, hate Rick Adelman. I can't stand that guy. Since the day he (and Dwarfdick) traded Tim Hardaway I've been rooting against him.

I don't care what anybody can say about him. This is an irrational hate that will go on forever.

Califongia wrote:I get to (unfortunetly) watch all the Kings games on TV:

Ouch. Sorry about that.

Califongia wrote:Sure, they do lack young talent, but this team is built to win NOW. Last year was a major dissapoinment, so the Maloofs brought in free agents and trades for veterans to win immedietly.

Well, if that's the King's goal, then I feel horribly sorry for their fans. Just proves my theory that the Maloofs are moronic rich kids. "Winning now" is an unrealistic goal for the Kings. The best they can hope for is to regroup, shuffle the lineup again during the offseason, pray for a good draft pick, and hope for the playoffs in 2007. Sacramento isn't going anywhere with their current lineup.

Califongia wrote:No one is sure about the future of Ron Artest, but to his credit, in the few games he has played, he has busted his butt.

That he has, I agree. But has it been good enough? Ron Artest was brought in as the savior, but, personally, I don't think Ron Artest is the kind of player who can make a big enough splash to take a team to the next level by himself. Is he a huge piece of the puzzle? Absolutely. But he won't drag the dead Kings to the playoffs with only Mike Bibby and Brad Miller's support. They need a Chris Webber; a still-effective veteran player, with experience, talent, and star power. Webber was that team's leader. His only problem was that his injuries forced him to be inconsistent. But I, for one, don't believe the rumors about Webber "not wanting to take the big shots" or anything like that. It's a huge coincidence. All in all, Webber was a better franchise for the Kings than Artest. They have regressed.

Califongia wrote:I think you are way wrong about Kenny Thomas though. He is not "average at best." He doesn't get a ton of minutes nor takes a ton of shots, but when he is in the game, he plays TOUGH! He fights for rebounds and has more heart than any other King. The Warriors would be better off with a guy like him. (And please no career stats; like I said he does things in the game that don't show up in stats)

No need for stats; I agree with you. Kenny Thomas looks like a good talent, in a blue collar sort of way (which is what the Kings, who carry the softest front court in the NBA, need). He's played great this year in limited minutes. You have to remember, though, he's in his 6th year as a pro. At this stage in his career, he's pretty much gotten as good as he'll ever be. And Garcia? Prince? Martin? Jamal Sampson?!? The King's talent (under 4 years experience) is sad; which means they'll plummet when Bibby's legs stop running.

Califongia wrote:And I hate the Kings, they are BORING as hell to watch!

I agree! Save for a 4th quarter nail-biter against the Grizzleys, I have yet to see this team as anything remotely exciting! Horrible time to be a King's fan, huh? When we lose, at least we're fun to watch...

#32 wrote:I agree! Save for a 4th quarter nail-biter against the Grizzleys, I have yet to see this team as anything remotely exciting! Horrible time to be a King's fan, huh? When we lose, at least we're fun to watch...

That's not necessarily a good thing. We're probably TOO fun to watch in crunch time...and get in a close game every other game.

Even worse than trading away Chris Webber in my opinion was trading away Bobby Jackson. He had heart and was fire off the bench. Too bad management didn't realize that in order to be successful you need a deep bench as well. Jason Hart, Mike Bibby's backup, is terrible. Warriors should be glad they have Fisher.

Mike Bibby= Great shooting touch, but might not have what it takes to win a championship.

Shareef Abdur Rahim=Great low post game, but needs to be getting way more rebounds for a big man

Bonzi Wells= Good scorer, good rebounder but health concerns

Brad Miller= Very nice offensive game, but the biggest softy ever. I can't believe a starting center in the NBA is that weak. He makes Victor "The Big Softy" Alexander look like Charles Oakley.

Ron Artest= Since he has come to Sac, he at times has taken the MOST shots in a game. I thought he came here for defense, but he is jacking up more shots than Bibby sometimes. And I would hardly call Ron Artest a ball hog, it's the fact that his teammates are hesitant to take shots. Someone other than Artest has to step up offensively.

But by all accounts, still think that this was the best trade the Kings could have made. They needed something to jump-start their organization. And they did not have to sacrifice any future draft picks in case Artest was a failure. Peja was as good as gone anyway, and he has already peaked.

And boring to watch, unless you call NO FIELD GOALS in the fourth quarter against the Celtics exciting! That was disgraceful.

I remember the good old days of Teagle, Garland, Askew, Mokeski, and even Mr. Jennings.

Great point about Bobby Jackson! Webber, Bibby, and Peja were that team's stars, but Jackson was no doubt their backbone. When their stacked bench became a roster filled with garbage nobodies, the team sank like a rock. The Kings still have just as good a starting lineup as they ever had; but their bench is what's really taken a dive.